The Inn Between by Larry Love April 29, 2015

I first got involved with this new project in my neighborhood when I met Kim Correa. I met her at the old Guadalupe School on Goshen Street right around the corner from my home. Kim needed some help with an upgrade on her fire alarm. I have been in the security/fire alarm business for 20 years and I am a commercial consultant at Ask for Larry Love

I did the site visit and gave Kim an estimate for the upgrade including some new code requirements such as low frequency horns (520mHz) that just went into effect at the beginning of this year. When she explained the purpose of the facility so I would know what fire alarm appliances and devices to add she explained the building would be used to assist patients that were terminally ill and did not have anywhere else to go.

Kim told me of how she had quit her job and started this non-profit organization in order to help those less fortunate in the community. I listened with interest and since I am involved with a Hispanic Church (The Buena Vista Branch with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) I saw this as a great opportunity for us to help in our own neighborhood so I organized some people to come over to help her clean and do other odd jobs. Kim has been very appreciative. I have met with Kim approximately 6 times over the last 2 months and I can tell you she is a genuine loving individual that wants to help those in need. Kim is also very open and willing to listen.

Some neighbors are concerned that having a facility of this type in the neighborhood will draw the wrong element to the area. Since Franklin Elementary is just around the corner and "The Inn Between" is so close to the river, another worry is that homeless people possibly family members or friends of those that will be cared for will want to stay close and may camp out near the river making the area more dangerous. I can understand these concerns and would hope that we can work closely with the police department to make sure this does not happen. Some neighbors don't understand the purpose of the new project and feel that it will turn into another homeless shelter or be a target selling area for drug dealers just like the block on second south by the shelter.

For those that are concerned I would urge you to speak with Kim Correa and she will explain how the facility will be ran. This is not going to be open to everyone that wants to come in. They will have rules and only a specific number of people will be allowed in the building at any given time. This wonderful project will give those that are in their last days a place where they can die with dignity. I would suggest that any community members that are worried step and get involved with "The Inn Between" in order to help the project move forward in the best possible way. Express your thoughts and frustrations and when we work together we can assist the community. The last thing Kim or the board of directors wants is to cause harm in any way.

This project is moving forward and although you may not agree with it you can sit and complain about the new non-profit in the neighborhood or you can get involved and volunteer by offering to help clean, read to the patients, be involved in neighborhood watch by reporting suspicious activity to the police and helping keep our neighborhood safe. Helping Kim's vision of what she would like to see happen a positive one will improve our community making it a model for the world.

What you resist persists. We as a society tend to fight against war, fight against drugs, fight against all sorts of things and when we place our energy in fighting against something it adds to that thing. When we place our energy in positive areas the positive aspects increase. Mother Teresa once said she would never attend an anti war rally although she said, "If you ever have a peace rally invite me." Look at what she manifested during her time on earth.

Answers from Kim Correa

1. What will impede the family members and friends that are homeless from coming and camping near the river to be close to the Inn Between? The SLC Police Department patrols the river. They even send officers out in the early morning hours (2 am to 3 am) to find and remove people who are camping by the river.

2. How do you know that the Inn Between will not draw drug dealers like the shelter on 400 south to our area which is close to the school? We are running a drug-free hospice house with a “first-strike you’re out” policy. If we see illicit activity (or behavior), we will evict the offender with the assistance of the police. Since our residents are very ill, we expect that the vast majority will not risk giving up their warm bed.

We will not permit loitering by strangers on or near the premises. We have two live-in house managers who will be keeping an eye on the interior and exterior of our property to provide security. We are working closely with the SLCPD, and they are committed to ensuring safety in the neighborhood with frequent patrols and rapid response.

3. Why will the Inn Between not become a magnet for homeless people and what will prevent them from coming in and making rooms upstairs their home etc…. The building is locked 24/7, and it has security cameras so the house managers can observe what is going on 24/7. The house managers monitor access, so only people living here will be able to enter and leave the building. Our guests will be instructed to stay on our property, either in the smoking area (in the north parking lot) or in the fenced in front yard, which is the “pet area” (several volunteers are bringing therapy pets in).

Our guests must be dying or very sick and be referred by The Fourth Street Clinic or a hospital. Our guests must sign a contract before being admitted here, and follow strict house rules in order to stay here. We are giving them an opportunity to die with dignity, but not a promise. Initially, we plan to operate under a no visitor’s policy to mitigate foot traffic and promote a tranquil neighborhood environment.

Our goal is to prevent people from migrating to The INN Between from the downtown area. The INN Between is not a shelter, and the shelters and SLCPD are working with us to raise awareness that we are not a shelter and to prevent people from migrating this way. If we begin to see a problem with this, we will ramp up security with security guards and more intervention from the SLCPD.